THE BLUE AND WHITE

On September 11th, 2001, the world lit ablaze. Two terrorist planes crashed into the World Trade Centers, forever changing thousands of lives. The event immediately shut down American airspace, and 38 planes were diverted to Gander, a small town in Newfoundland of no more than a few thousand people. The “plane people,” who came from different countries around the world, found themselves greeted warmly by the locals of Gander, who did everything to provide meals, bedding and clothes. Regular operations of the entire town were suspended to lend a helping hand to these strangers, truly exemplifying the Canadian spirit. “Come From Away” is a retelling of that story, translating some actual stories from Gander residents into a powerful and emotional musical that shows how the kindness of a
small community can spiral into something much greater.

On my birthday, my friends and I went down to the Royal Alexandria Theatre for a tour of the musical back in the city in which it originated. We almost went into the show blind, not really knowing what to expect, which looking back, ended up being a great decision.

When we think of any story, we can usually quickly identify the protagonist at the heart of it all, and often an antagonist too. “Come From Away” is not that kind of story. Each of the twelve people in the cast play a variety of roles, telling a number of different stories interwoven into the narrative, staying true to the actual event, where no singular story took precedence over another. In this way, many songs of the cast album are written to be closely connected with one another, making it difficult to grasp the full story with just the album. With that being said, there are a few outstanding parts of the show that stood out amongst the rest. The opening number “Welcome To The Rock” was one that I had on my playlist for an entire year prior to even listening to the rest of the musical. It’s personally one of my favorite openings ever, and if any of you would care to check out the show, I would recommend starting with this song. “Me And The Sky” is an extremely powerful female soloist sung by one of the plane captains. She recounts how she persevered through challenges such as sexism to become one of the pioneers in a men-dominated field. It also has a stunning high note, which was incredible to listen to sung live. “Prayer,” “Stop the World,” and “38 Planes (Reprise) are some other powerful numbers. Without writing any spoilers, the final segment of the show was full of emotional moments, as we see how those whose stories were told continued their lives after the crisis. The finale alone instantly put this show up on my list as an all-time favorite.

The set for the show is interesting in how empty the stage is overall. With some trees on the side, and a table and a few chairs in the middle, it is difficult to imagine where the story could be taken. I’ve since learned never to doubt the ingenuity of choreographers. Each performer almost becomes part of the set; by using additional props and constantly moving elements on the stage, the audience feels like they are being taken to so many different places such as the inside of a plane or a rowdy bar. The backdrop even opens up at one point! If you’re wondering where the pit band is sitting, the live music is actually only played by a few different instrumentalists, including piano, fiddle and guitar, all of whom are at one point part of the show!

“Come From Away” tours in Toronto until April 6th, and I would highly recommend checking it out if given the chance. Last-minute rush tickets are sometimes offered by the theatre, so consider adding this to your next outing. Additionally, a professionally taped full version of the show is available on Apple TV+. You can check out the online cast album here.

Anyone else wanna become a Newfoundlander? Just me? Ok…